Auto News 5

Toyota offered a vision of its next-generation Corolla sedan that arrives in late 2013 with the unveiling of the Furia concept at the Detroit auto show.

Lots of dealers have given away cars to boost their business and help local charities.

Low incentives, new products and construction sites filled with aging pickups have set the stage for an especially competitive -- and lucrative -- battle in the one segment the Detroit 3 still dominate: big pickups.

Hyundai and Kia each will have two spots during the Super Bowl, the companies said here last week during the auto show. They join a pack of auto brands eager to reach the game's huge audience.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn opened his press conference last week at the Detroit auto show with a bombshell: Nissan will cut the base price of the Leaf electric vehicle by $6,400.

There's a new price battleground -- $30,000 -- for luxury-car makers as they chase younger buyers with small front-wheel-drive vehicles that are sliding down into mass-market territory.

Top Chrysler Group executives took responsibility for the 2013 Dodge Dart's sluggish sales start but said they have "a lot of levers" available to boost sales.

Everybody is now anxiously waiting for the 51st edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona, presented at the famous Daytona International Speedway, January 26-27.

For the occasion, Grand-Am teams have hired the cream of drivers. Big names are omnipresent throughout the 59-car field.

Favourites for overall victory will no doubt be last year's winners AJ Allmendinger, Ozz Negri, John Pew and Justin Wilson. The four Michael Shank Racing men driving the No. 60 Ford/Riley are on top of their game, plus they are joined by Austrlia's Marcos Ambrose.

But they are facing fierce opposition.

From BMW/Riley, Chip Ganassi Racing has entered two cars featuring drivers from NASCAR, IndyCar and DTM, such as Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti and Joey Hand.

From Corvette, 8 Star Motorsports has assembled a line-up of former Peugeot endurance drivers - Anthony Davidson, Pedro Lamy, Nicolas Minassian and Stéphane Sarrazin - that will no doubt be dangerous.

From within, the second MSR Ford/Riley, led by Canadians Chris Cumming and Michael Valiante from Vancouver, has also posted quick times in testing.

All in all, 17 DP cars are taking the start.

In GT, the stakes are just as high. Manufacturers Ferrari, Audi, Porsche and BMW have all invested heavily in the hopes of earning some silverware.

Audi has made a big push to establish itself in the North American market. Four Audi Sport customer racing teams have turned up. So have four factory drivers: Frank Biela, Filipe Albuquerque, Oliver Jarvis and Edoardo Mortara.

Ferrari too, has sent big guns, such as Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander, who are driving a Canadian-backed Ferrari, the No. 61 of AIM Motorsport.

Heavy hitters from Porsche include last year's winning team Magnus Racing, on hand with two cars, Brumos Racing and TRG. Drivers Jörg Bergmeister, Kuno Wittmer and Romain Dumas are lending a hand.

Even Rubens Barrichello has jumped in the fight, aboard a Dener Motorsport Porsche.

At BMW, the efforts have been concentrated around two Turner Motorsport M3. The driver line-up features factory drivers Bill Auberlen, Andy Priaulx and Maxime Martin, as well as Canadian Paul Dalla Lana.
In total, 36 entrants in the GT category.

This year also marks the debut of the new GX class, which six teams have entered. Napleton Racing has dominated the pre-race test, but the No. 70 Mazdaspeed/Speedsource Mazda6 should be watched as well.

Drivers Jonathan Bomarito, Marino Franchitti, James Hinchcliffe and Sylvain Tremblay have all starred before.

The green flag drops Saturday at 3:30 pm.

From McLaren

On September 2, 2013, the McLaren Group will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

NewZealander Bruce McLaren created “ Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd” some 50 years ago with a group of half a dozen loyal souls, who slogged across the world to race his self-made cars.

Nowadays, the McLaren Group employs more than 2000 people, all of whom still share McLaren's ideals of combining sportsmanship with solid engineering practice and cutting-edge technical expertise.

Bruce McLaren, McLaren M7C Ford Cosworth, Monaco 1969. (Photo: WRi2)

Since its arrival in the sport, at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix, Team McLaren have won more races (182) than any other constructor, started from pole position 155 times and scored 151 fastest laps. In 2012, we achieved the fastest-ever time for a Formula 1 pitstop (2.31s at Hockenheim), recorded our 58th consecutive points-scoring finish, an all-time record, and have now led more than 10,000 racing laps.

The team took Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton to the world titles.

McLaren also raced in North American sportscar racing, lifting five successive Can-Am championship trophies (1967-1971) and winning 43 races in the iconic, thundering V8-engined sportscars.

The team also went to the Indy 500 for the first time in 1970, returning with greater strength until McLaren won the USA's most famous motor race in 1974 with Johnny Rutherford.

Photo: McLaren

Not to forget the McLaren F1 road car, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and the 12C and the 12C Spider.

Accordingly, echoes of McLaren's past will reverberate throughout a series of unique events and celebrations to be held across the anniversary year.

"From the McLaren 50 logos we'll proudly sport on our team shirts, through our specially commissioned heritage video features, to the launch of our new MP4-28 Formula 1 car with Jenson Button and Sergio Perez on January 31st, every lap, every corner, every mile and every road we take will be an opportunity to revel in McLaren's present while recalling our 50-year past," says a team press release.

From GMM

Sahara Force India has confirmed reports it will not be making a driver announcement prior to the launch of the 2013 car early next month.

It has been reported Adrian Sutil and Jules Bianchi are the frontrunners to join Paul di Resta at the Silverstone based team this season.

But amid claims of a financial crisis - which have been strongly denied by the Vijay Mallya-led team - Sahara Force India confirmed reports the seat alongside Paul di Resta will be left open for now.

Sahara Force India will launch its 2013 single seater at Silverstone on February 1.

"The launch will be devoted entirely to the new VJM06," deputy team boss Bob Fernley is quoted as saying by the website of French sports magazine L'Equipe.

The report claimed di Resta's teammate will be announced between the launch and the start of the first pre-season test at Jerez a few days later.

Paul Di Resta, VJM05. (Photo: WRi2)

Two-time Formula 1 World Champion, Fernando Alonso captured a double win on the ice lake at “Vrooom 2013” event at Madonna di Campiglio at the end of a kart race between the Scuderia Ferrari drivers and the Ducati Team riders.

Photo: WRi2

Starting alongside his teammate Felipe Massa, Alonso soon found himself at the back of the pack after a clash with Massa, but the Spaniard fought his way up through the field to take the win in the first leg.

Photo: WRi2

He won the second leg too, in a race where the grid was based on the reverse order of the previous race result. It took the Spaniard just a handful of laps to work his way up into the lead, thus finishing first overall, ahead of Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella.

Photo: WRi2

While many NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers bemoaned the reduced amount of downforce, on the Gen 6 cars at the Daytona tests, almost the opposite was true for last week's abbreviated one day test at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

For Daytona's high banked 2.5 mile oval the rear spoiler was limited to 4 inches high by 53 inches wide. Also the bumper configurations were changed to make bump drafting a lot more difficult as was seen when Dale Earnhardt Jr. took out Marcos Ambrose and over a dozen other cars in practice.

For the Charlotte 1.5 mile oval NASCAR permitted the rear spoiler to be 7.25 inches high by 61 inches wide which produced much more downforce than the Restrictor Plate (or Super Speedway) cars do.

Overall, the Gen-6 car will be 2.3 inches shorter (196.2 inches), three inches wider (77 inches) and 150 pounds lighter compared to the 2012 version. Right-side weight on the car is 1,620 pounds and the left-side weight is 1,680 pounds for a total of 3,300 pounds. The balance on the 2012 car was 1,700 pounds on the right and 1,750 on the left side (3,450 pounds).

One industry insider estimated that the “downforce” track car produces almost double the amount of downforce as the “super speedway” car.

Jeff Burton. (Photo: Getty for NASCAR)

And veteran Jeff Burton explained: “at the end of the day, the better the cars are stuck in the race track, the closer the cars run to each other... Especially on big tracks, the better the grip is, the closer the action can be."

"I believe that more grip gives the drivers more opportunity to put their car in a position that they wouldn't be able to put it, if they didn't have that grip," Burton said. "That's why I think the racing is going to be better."

Only nothing happens in a vacuum. The “downforce track” spoiler is so tall that drivers complain about the lack of visibility.

"They need to do something about this spoiler. It sucks," said Matt Kenseth who joined Joe Gibbs Racing after a long association with Fenwway Roush Racing.

Another change for this year is the use of the clear plastic Lexan on the rails or fins on the “C” pillars along the rear deck lid. Some suggest a Lexan rear spoiler but the sanctioning body is concerned that it that the lexan spoilers invisible to the fans who are want spoilers on the rear deck lids as opposed to wings which originally were required on the previous generation of stock car racers.

One suggestion was a rear spoiler which would be lexan on the top half, but, NASCAR officials haven't decided to make any changes at this time.

Audi has elected to send two R18 e-tron quattro cars to this year's 61st 12 Hours of Sebring.

Marcel Fässler, Benoît Tréluyer and Oliver Jarvis will drive one, and Lucas di Grassi, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish will driver the other, as they bid to give their team a last LMP1 victory.

Photo: Audi Motorsport

Last because the LMP1 class will be deleted in 2014, as the American Le Mans Series, which hosts the 12 Hours of Sebring, and Grand-Am merge.

"We're in for a very emotional race weekend," admitted Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi Motorsport. "Sebring is where Audi's sports car era that has been so successful began.

"We expect that with two current hybrid models we'll be battling for overall victory[.]"

The Sebring 12h enjoy a great reputation in the huge American sportscar fraternity. (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

A victory which would bring Audi's total to 11.

Furthermore, driver Kristensen, who holds the record for the most wins at Sebring, will be trying to lay hands on his seventh.

In the 2000 season, Audi celebrated its first sportscar victory with the R8 at Sebring. (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

From press release

Williams F1 Team announces today that Toto Wolff, one of its Executive Director, is leaving the Company with immediate effect to take up a new role with Mercedez-Benz Grand Prix.

Toto Wolff will be relinquishing his seat on the Company's Board of Directors but will retain his shareholding. Team Principal and majority shareholder Sir Frank Williams will continue to oversee the running of the Company with Toto's responsibilities being shared between members of the Board's Executive Committee.

Speaking about Toto Wolff's departure Sir Frank Williams commented: "I would like to thank Toto for his hard work, dedication and commitment to the team during his time as a Director of the Company. He was a key support to me as Executive Director last season, deputising at a number of races when I was unable to attend. However, positions such as the one offered to him by Mercedes do not come around often. Toto has a long history with them and I certainly was not going to stand in the way of him accepting this once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Toto will retain his shareholding in Williams and will always have a place at Grove but make no mistake; we will fight him hard on the racetrack! I am sure he will be a strong asset for Mercedes and on behalf of the whole team I would like to wish him the best of luck in his new role. I'm lucky to have a very professional group of people around me and the Company's Executive Committee will continue the work they have been doing to ensure a successful future for the business.”

Christian "Toto" Wolff. (Photo: Williams F1 Team)

Keith Wiggins, owner of the HVM Racing squad is working on different scenarios that could see his team make a return on the grid for the upcoming 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series' season.

The team had its fair share of problems last year after being associated with Lotus and being unable to separate with the engine manufacturer that was plague by numerous problems, one of which being its lack of performance on the track.

Wiggins himself was pessimistic about the chance to see its team back in action in IndyCar and he even turned his energy toward new opportunities outside of open-wheel racing and finally agreed to partner with the Status GP sports car team in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

According to reports, including Speed TV, Wiggins has now confirmed that he is having discussions with a couple of different parties regarding projects in IndyCar, although the final format of participation has not been finalized yet.

HVM has been linked with running a few different drivers. Among the candidates, two are interested in an ownership stake (EJ Viso?). One other option would be to see the team become a satellite program of a current IndyCar entrant.

Whatever form it may take, which could include HVM running the program under a different banner, Wiggins says he won't go forward unless proper funding is in place for the team to be competitive.

Caterham F1 Team has confirmed the launch date of their new challenger.

In a short press release, the team based in Leafield, UK announced it will unveil the new Renault-powered CT03 on February 5 at 8:45 am in the pit lane of the Circuito de Jerez, Spain.

New team driver Charles Pic will attend the event. No word has been mentioned about the second driver.

February 5 is the first day of the 2013 pre-season F1 tests and Caterham F1 Team will commence its test program immediately after taking the wraps off its new car.

Caterham-Renault CT01. (Photo: WRi2)

Ask any Audi enthusiast and they'll tell you that the two most important letters in their beloved brand's lineup are "R" and "S". They will also tell you that when these two letters come together, the end result is extra special.

In Canada, we've seen the results of what an "RS" vehicle is capable of: Back in 2004, Audi offered a limited run of RS 6 models in Canada, followed a few years later by the 2007-'08 RS 4. Then, in 2012, there was the TT RS, which was a little monster.


For 2013, Audi is offering another special edition model, the RS 5 Coupe. But is the new car as mad and magnificent as its predecessors or has the formula been watered down?

The 2013 Audi RS 5 is a luxurious, high-performance coupe for the businessman/woman who likes to have fun on the way to work. It is also for those who want something rare, as only 150 examples of the RS 5 Coupe will come to Canada. According to Audi, they are almost all sold out; so if you want one, hurry up. Prices start at $77,000.

Power on the outside
From a styling point of view, the 2013 Audi RS 5 has the familiar pumped-up look of previous RS models where they take the basic model's body and give it more pronounced bumpers, rocker panels, hips and tailpipes. The end result is one of quiet aggression. Most will think the 2013 Audi RS 5 is just another Audi, while those in the know will give you a nod of approval.

Open the door to the 2013 Audi RS 5 and the interior will look very familiar to anyone who's been in an A5. While it is the same size, has the same design, and has the same gadgets you'd find in the more mainstream A5 models: all is not the same. The 2013 Audi RS 5 gets its own special seats, and the steering wheel feels beefier and has its own unique touches. The differences might be subtle, but they're there.

The RS models get more pronounced bumpers, rocker panels, hips and tailpipes. (photo: Nauman Farooq)

Power on the inside
The biggest difference is found under the hood: The 2013 Audi RS 5 gets the same 4.2L, normally aspirated V8 found in the back of an R8 supercar. Only, in the 2013 Audi RS 5, the engine was pumped up a bit so instead of just 430 hp (like the R8), in the RS 5 you get 450 hp at 8,250 rpm and 316 lb-ft of torque (available between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm).

Power is sent to all four wheels via Audi's clever quattro system.

Power in the 2013 Audi RS 5 is managed via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. This gearbox is not only smooth, but ferociously quick to swap cogs. And with Audi's Drive Select configurations, you can choose between four settings for the vehicle's transmission shift characteristics: Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual.

In Dynamic mode the transmission downshifts with an automated throttle blip. It is all a lot of fun; and as I found out, can also scare grannies on the sidewalk.

For serious fun, find yourself an open stretch of road and flex the 2013 Audi RS 5's muscles -- it's insanely quick. According to Audi, the RS 5 can hit 100 km/h from a standstill in just 4.7 seconds (feels quicker than that, actually), and if you find yourself on an unrestricted road (good luck trying to find one of those in Canada), it will max out at 280 km/h.

Actually, the 2013 Audi RS 5 is electronically limited to that speed; however, take the limiter off and you'd surely surpass that speed. While 280 km/h is fast enough, I cannot give you a firsthand account of how this car feels at that speed. However, I did stretch its legs on a few occasions, and I was blown away by just how stable the RS 5 is.

An RS 5 gets the same 4.2L, normally aspirated V8 found in the back of an R8 supercar. (photo: Nauman Farooq)

Quattro at its best
It's not necessary to be going illegally fast to have some fun in the 2013 Audi RS 5. Find a twisty bit of tarmac and it will impress you with its handling. Its electromechanical steering might not have the same feel as the older hydraulic-based steering systems, but it is not bad at all.

Even though the RS 5 is supposed to be a bonkers thrill machine, its chassis and suspension set-up encourages more understeer than sudden-snap oversteer. While this is a safer set-up for most people, it does make it less thrilling to drive than cars like the rear-wheel R8.

From GMM

Toto Wolff, the Williams shareholder who manages Valtteri Bottas and only last July became an executive director, is leaving the Oxfordshire based team.

The mass-circulation German newspaper Bild reports that the 41-year-old Austrian, a former racing driver, is replacing the recently departed Norbert Haug as Mercedes' motor sport chief.

He has almost certainly been appointed by the marque's new F1 chairman Niki Lauda, the triple world champion who - like Wolff - is from Vienna, Austria.

As well as owning shares in Williams, Toto Wolff also has a stake in HWA, the German company that runs Mercedes' DTM programme.

Mercedes would not comment, and neither would Williams. But Bild claimed the news is likely to be announced officially at the DTM test in Valencia, which starts on Tuesday.

Reports estimate the value of Wolff's Williams shareholding at up to EUR 40 million.

Photo: DTM

This past holiday season, I found myself literally gushing over the car I was driving. You may or may not know that I've a special place in my heart for Volkswagen products.

The car that was gushed over multiple times on Instagram and Twitter (Matt_St_Pierre) and Facebook was a 2012 Volkswagen Golf R decked out in Rising Blue.

At $39,675, the Volkswagen Golf R plays alongside the Subaru STI ($38,195) and the Mitsubishi EVO X ($41,998), but as all enthusiasts will say: the Golf doesn't measure up in the numbers game. It's down on horsepower and torque, and short on big-time go-fast bits such as a massive spoiler and uber-flared wheel arches. However, where it wins is in sheer classiness.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Those who have driven all of these cars know what I'm going on about. The German's precision, sense of purpose and all-out efficiency without sacrificing sanity, health and hearing are what make this car great, excellent even.

But wait; had I spent the week with an EVO or an STI, I probably would have equally blathered on about these cars as I did repeatedly with the R.

For the Mitsubishi EVO, I'd have raved about its razor-sharp steering, infinitely tossable chassis and mind blowing agility. Had I piloted the STI, I would not have been able to contain my praise for the car's rugged raw power, insane traction and tank-like demeanour.

Any of these cars would have beat into submission our winter's first super storm that brought 45cm of the white stuff over a period of 24 hrs. All have excellent AWD systems which display specific advantages.

In the 2012 Volkswagen Golf R's case, the Haldex AWD's clutch pack endlessly switched up the amount of torque that effect the rear wheels. This way, on the slippery stuff, up to 100% of the 2.0T's juice was sent to the rear wheels for maximum fun. The Subaru STI requires more work to get the ass to break loose. The Mitsubishi EVO's S-AWC is legendary for doing everything right.

What I'm trying to say is that the Golf R is not the be-all-end-all of affordable super cars -- although it is a tremendous product. All car manufacturers have the ability to build such a car and make me gush -- even Toyota.

At one point, Toyota did participate in the World Rallye Championship (WRC) with a sweet and angry AWD turbocharged Corolla hatchback. Bring it back and I'll love Toyota for it. Look it up on Google.

The bottom line is that Volkswagen's Golf R deserved all the love I gave it. And, I'd do it all over again.

Adapted from GMM

Timo Glock will leave Marussia, and probably Formula 1. He could join BMW but the category still has to be announced.

After leaving Toyota in the wake of the Japanese giant's F1 exit, the now 30-year-old German has been Marussia's lead driver since the former Virgin team's 2010 inception.

"The Marussia F1 Team and its race driver Timo Glock have, by mutual consent, agreed to part company with immediate effect," says the Marussia press release issued on Monday morning.

The reason for Glock's split is almost certainly financial, with the well-funded British rookie Max Chilton already signed up to drive one of the cars in 2013.

"Tough economic conditions prevail and the commercial landscape is difficult for everyone, Formula 1 teams included. We would like to thank Timo for working with us to reach this decision, especially as he had a valid contract, and also for the contribution he has made to our Team," said John Booth, Team Principal of the Marussia F1 Team in the press release.

In other words, this means that Glock's cockpit "must be sold to a pay-driver".

That report said the replacement for Glock, who earned about EUR 2 million per season, will have to pay "at least five million" to be Chilton's new teammate.

Britain's Telegraph newspaper mentioned Vitaly Petrov or Sebastien Buemi as potential candidates.

And Belgium's RTL named Jerome d'Ambrosio, the Eric Boullier-managed 2012 Lotus reserve who in 2011 was Glock's teammate at Virgin, as a possibility.

Swiss newspaper Blick wrote: "The biggest mystery is what Glock will do now? Is he suddenly on Force India's list?"

Auto Motor und Sport said he is in the running to race for BMW in Germany's premier touring car championship DTM in 2013.

Another possibility might be the ALMS series as the BMW-contracted driver, Dirk Muller, said to Timo Glock on Twitter late on Sunday: "Many congrats and welcome in the club".

Timo Glock responded: "Ppssss ... danke".

BMW Z4 GT3 driven by Dirk Muller in ALMS series. (Photo: BMW Team RLL)